The Bally Professional ARCADE / Astrocade

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The Bally Professional ARCADE / Astrocade

Рет қаралды 5,824

Күн бұрын

Here is a video of some on my Bally Astrocade collection. Its a system that unfortunately did not get the run other systems did, and in my opinion was the Colecovision of its era.
** This video and Channel "Glen's Retro Show" is for viewers 14 years older and up. By watching this video you are agreeing that you are not under the age of 14. This video is not made for viewers under the age of 14. If you are under 14 years of age, you do not have permission to view this video. **
Find out more about this really cool system from 1977/1978.
BIG information here.
www.ballyalley....
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Dan Wood of kookytech.net!
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Пікірлер: 62

@GORF_EMPIRE 4 жыл бұрын

There are two chips that together make up the gfx abilities, the ADDRESS and the DATA chip which also handle the memory addressing and one other chip, the I/O chip which does sound and input and output. The chip set is the same chips used in the arcade machines, Gorf, Wizard or Wor, Seawolf II, Space Zap, Extra Bases and a few others. The arcade boards are much larger and more involved and some of these were back plane based cages with several boards. The home system was a cut down version with only low rez ability due to the 4k ram limit. They all use the same meory map however. Gorf and WOW use an extra IO chip for more sound and input and also a pattern board which is essentially a blitter( block data mover to help move more sprites around the screen)

@chrisnizer1885 4 жыл бұрын

The Astrocade had a Zilog Z-80 microprocessor, the same CPU that many commercial arcade cabinet games used back in the day. Unfortunately that also made it VERY expensive compared to its competitors, a full $100 more back in 1977-78. But nothing else came close if you could afford it. Thanks for the review!

@stabarnak9841 5 жыл бұрын

love that you even managed to do a small plug for the abilities of the 99-4A in this review (my first, and still favorite computer). My interest in computers and consoles was born as a young adult in the 70's, and although I have memory of the name "Bally Astrocade", I don't think I've ever seen one until now...especially in such amazing detail... Damn you for making me want yet another vintage system! I'm running out of living space - AND LIFE-SAVINGS! (Have to find original-era 3D goggles for my Vectrex before adding a new/old console) .absolutely wonderful review - I rarely post comment on 2 year old posts, but this one deserved it.

@GlensRetroShow 5 жыл бұрын

Well.. thank you and I am glad you did post 😊. Yes the TI was my first computer too. It was very advanced and the core of it became the colecovision, Coleco Adam, and Tomy tutor to name a few. You know you can get a fan made 3D imager I have one much muuuuch cheeper.. if u don't have to have an original and just want the 3D. The Bally Astrocade is such a forgotten system.. it was made the same year as the Atari VCS later named the 2600. 1977..but lots of issues with heat and the custom chips delayed it. It's HW video was crippled by ram..but even still was very advanced..and the sound chip was amazing. Even the 4 players with trigger joysticks with built in pots..omg I better stop lol Just hard to find one working today as the 7o's shag rugs killed so many sadly.. Thank you for the watch and post!

@stabarnak9841 5 жыл бұрын

@@GlensRetroShow I've seen the modern Vectrex 3D imager (along with the 'felt-marker' light pen - although I entered Vectrex fandom too late to get my hands on one of those). While I have no issue with modern gadgets enhancing my retro hobby (one of my 4A's sports a sexy F18A GPU, a nanoPEB expansion card, FinalGROM cartridge and a SIDmaster card for my REAL Peripheral Expansion Box), I do try where I can to keep everything authentic and original. I can see getting one of the 3D imager clones as a daily driver, but would really like to find an original to tuck away on a shelf, just to know I have it. (if I could find one that does not require taking out a second mortgage!) Only a collector can understand that of course. To most of my friends, paying $60 for a 35 year old "Mine Storm" plastic screen overlay is madness, but to me it is a wise purchase decision! I look forward to watching more of your youtube contributions, since it would seem we suffer from similar afflictions (4 astrocades! and I thought I was bad with 2 TI's (both brushed aluminum of course!)

@GlensRetroShow 5 жыл бұрын

@@stabarnak9841 oh I understand all too well my friend..I think as you see more of my videos lol u will see we share s madness..

@GlensRetroShow 5 жыл бұрын

@@stabarnak9841 oh..and I have 4 lol Ti-99/4A's one with an f18A, a PEB, two MBX expansion units.. a micro PEb, and a few speech units and of course a final ROM and a final Grom .. love the TI

@nostalgicforthe70s18 8 жыл бұрын

Wizard of Wor for me is why I would like to have a Bally Astrocade. Its the audio that's most impressive. Makes me feel that I am back at the arcade.

@GlensRetroShow 8 жыл бұрын

Hey Bryan. thank you and I'm glad you enjoyed it. I did want to show more but it was already running pretty long. I do hope to make a couple more on this system because I agree the Bally astrocade really does not have a lot of exposure and it really is a nice system. it can be a little temperamental and delicate but treat it right and it's a really fun system.

@charlesjenkins1225 6 жыл бұрын

Love it! I got one for Xmas in 1979. The controllers were awesome. Mine never broke. It died one faithful day in the mid 90's do to a flood in our basement

@GlensRetroShow 6 жыл бұрын

charles jenkins oh man..sorry about that killer flood 😔😔😔 . This is still the most advanced system of her day.. a GREAT system..just had to keep her cool

@charlesjenkins1225 6 жыл бұрын

First thought to what you said. Amen brother. I am guessing my machine never had the over heating problem because it was on a shelf in a TV console furniture unit. When I got my machine I was 9 years old. And O boy it was way better than an Atari. For me it was the controller. The pistol grip fit the hand and the checkering kept a firm grip. Atari owners had to buy knob controllers and the joystick was 4 position. Playing Football, you could move the QB and move his arm . That was a whole generation above other systems at the time. My father was a tech fan and in the insurance business. In 76 he got a Honeywell computer for his office. Well the business he bought that from also wound up selling Apple, Franklin, IBM, ect. And yes the Bally machine. In 81 the game console got pushed to the side because we got an Atari 800. Sure it was a computer. But man it was a great game machine.

@GlensRetroShow 6 жыл бұрын

charles jenkins yea the controller.. sound so many things far beyond what Atari and intelivision had to offer..but yea the Atari 800...well that was a system!!

@charlesjenkins1225 6 жыл бұрын

The 800 was like having a video game arcade at home!!!

@redefv 2 жыл бұрын

My dad got one of these about two years before I was born circa 1978. I am not sure when I started playing it. Probably circa 1984. We had it in the basement on a cold, concrete slab on our spare TV. I wonder where it went.

@ctextoris 3 жыл бұрын

We had this in the house when I was growing up in the 80s. I played with it only casually, but think of it often. My mom sold it at a garage sale (in its original box) in the 90s for only $5. I’ve thought of that often too! I’ve held onto my NES system and would have loved to still have this system too.

@GlensRetroShow 3 жыл бұрын

😲 $5.00 .. someone got a super deal... I hope you had fun with it back then. They are around $200 on average now and these are among the most delicate systems.. the custom chips overheat and they die.

@charlesbullock2856 20 күн бұрын

To me this game system I always wanted .I saw it in a radio shack as a kid

@GlensRetroShow 20 күн бұрын

@@charlesbullock2856 I absolutely love mine but they're very delicate but back in the day it was so expensive

@HobbyView 6 жыл бұрын

I had one as a kid in the early 80's. i wanted the Atari 2600, parents were convinced by salesperson to get the Bally because it could also be programmed by user. I ended up liking it quite a bit and would even play with the BASIC programming. I agree, the joysticks were awesome.

@GlensRetroShow 6 жыл бұрын

HobbyView I had in the day the 2600..always wanted the Bally lol ..I just love it..glad you saw how cool it was .. do you still have it?

@HobbyView 6 жыл бұрын

No, haven't had it since the 80's. Not really sure what happened to it. I may pick one up from e-bay.

@cbmeeks 8 жыл бұрын

Atari 2600 had 128 BYTES of RAM. Not KB. :-)

@GlensRetroShow 8 жыл бұрын

yes sir my bad, you are 100% correct ..

@ItsJustMilkISwear 4 жыл бұрын

having game storage on the console itself is such a cool idea.

@GlensRetroShow 4 жыл бұрын

It's really one of my favorite consoles

@NesrocksGamingVideos 4 жыл бұрын

So... I basically programmed Scribbling in Qbasic while studying that language in 1996 without ever hearing about Scribbling. The only difference is that I had a black background instead of white.

@GlensRetroShow 4 жыл бұрын

That cool that you made a similar program

@JohnDoe-dh6zy 4 жыл бұрын

Didn't this come out in '78? Very ahead of its time and a shame it never really caught on. It had a good starter library but always played second banana to the 2600 and Intellivision- even the O2 was more popular.

@johneygd 2 жыл бұрын

If these machine were prone to overheat, i wonder why they didn’t added heatsinkers on each chip along with a matel plate to conduct all that heat away?? Sure it may would,ve make those machine slightly more expensive to make but at the end it would,ve saved them alooot for repairing them.

@GlensRetroShow 2 жыл бұрын

Basically..the H/W was super expensive for them as it was basically there arcade chips ..like the neo-geo of sorts ... The heat buildup was due to FCC and the requirement for using metal shielding. And the arcade units. There was plenty of space for the motherboard to vent off its heat in the console. It was already small and all the vents on the unit were pointless once the entire month board was encased in a metal RF shielding. Wants this happen to the console was doomed to overheat

@jeffpearson1863 2 жыл бұрын

love and miss mine

@GlensRetroShow 8 жыл бұрын

WoW is a great port on the Astrocade..sound also is spot on. Galaxian too. same sound board..well same video board too..just ram much less and hi res mode disabled in hardware...cost savings.... :(

@mixtapesforever1765 5 жыл бұрын

Great system good collection

@GlensRetroShow 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you It hard to keep these running

@superpan218 3 жыл бұрын

This console has suffered from an identity crisis.

@ToxicxGrim 4 ай бұрын

i have this one but the white version

@GlensRetroShow 4 ай бұрын

Nice.. that's the special addition one

@ToxicxGrim 4 ай бұрын

@GlensRetroShow idk if it works haven't touch it in years

@bluesdirt6555 3 жыл бұрын

How do you hook it up ? Think I’m missing a cord

@ddarko08 8 жыл бұрын

Loved seeing your demo! Never even heard of this system until last year, and this is the most I've seen it in actually :)

@GlensRetroShow 8 жыл бұрын

:) thank you, hope to make a few more soon.

@dallase1 2 жыл бұрын

If it had an arcade circuit board in it why are the graphics not as good as Gorf or even Intellivision and why does the Wizard of War game not talk?

@carljr17 7 жыл бұрын

May I ask where you got the S video adapter you mentioned in the video? I would love to get my Astrocade composite modified with S video. I lack the skills to install it though… Need to find someone willing to perform the mod for me.

@GlensRetroShow 7 жыл бұрын

carljr17 I don't think the svideo mod is made anymore..but I will check 🙂

@carljr17 7 жыл бұрын

Even just a basic composite mod would be wonderful! Can't stand RF

@gloriakuffner4904 7 жыл бұрын

I just watched your video. Interesting stuff. Im hoping you can help me with some info as you mentioned a guy named 'Ken' who can repair them and I`m not a techi. I have a Bally Astrocade 'model # ABA-1000-2 still in the box with packing et al. There are twenty some odd games, four controllers and an adapter. The computer cassette has the little red light on it. I bought it way back in the seventies. The kids played with it some then went on to other things and I packed it away. Recently I opened it up but i couldn`t get it to work. I noticed the transformer cover was partially melted but it did get hot when i plugged it in. I tried hooking the (tv/game) adapter up to the TV but nothing happened. (the tv is old but it does have a dvd player built in so i don`t know if its old enough or even if i need an old set). If you or any of your other followers can help with any information about finding someone who can check it out and or repair it, I would really appreciate it. Tks Gerry

@GlensRetroShow 7 жыл бұрын

Gloria Kuffner hi there. you can find Ken on the Atari age.com Bally Astrocade forum ;)

@nickolaswilcox425 2 жыл бұрын

so for some reason on mine with gunfight the player one control changes the angle of player ones gun but moves player two and fires both, no idea whats going on there

@GlensRetroShow 2 жыл бұрын

Sounds like a chip malfunction .. the Astrocade is notorious for heat chip failure

@nickolaswilcox425 2 жыл бұрын

@@GlensRetroShow any idea which chip? it functions normally with my other cartridges so my guess is the rom but im not sure which one thats supposed to be or if i can even get a replacement at all

@nostalgicforthe70s18 8 жыл бұрын

Glen, if someone was interested today in picking up one of these what version would you suggest is the most worth picking up? Thanks

@GlensRetroShow 8 жыл бұрын

well, there was really only 1 version...with many names.. bally home library computer bally computer system bally profesdional Arcade bally Astrocade Astrocade normal black Montgomery Ward white all are 100% identical.. although the MW White, home computer library or astrocade are most rare of them. if you can find """Any""" in working order...thats the lol one to get!! ..,keep them well ventilated and off rugs and should be ok :) then just add a multicart

@dallase1 7 жыл бұрын

Check Mate is like Snafu.

@scottbreon9448 4 жыл бұрын

And both are knockoffs of an old arcade game called Blockade